Inside the Cleveland Museum of Art

The best way to photograph “Work No. 965: Half the air in a given space” by British artist Martin Creed is to immerse yourself within it. The exhibit, which runs through November 25 at the Cleveland Museum of Art, is a large room filled halfway with purple balloons that swallow those who enter.

“People come out of the room exhilarated,” a docent said to me before I tried it.

It was, in fact, energizing from the static electricity being generated in the room. It was an odd sensation, especially when you realized another person was nearby. First you, feel the pressure of the displaced balloons coming in your direction, then you might hear a giggle or scream. Finally, parts of a body may appear — or not.

The new and improved Cleveland Museum of Art is finally coming into view as it heads toward the completion of a $350 million expansion project. In addition to new east and west wings and renovated gallery spaces, the Ames Family Atrium, promises to be a draw for people year-round. The free, covered 39,000-square-foot piazza, hailed as “Cleveland’s Pantheon,” is the largest indoor free public space in Northeast Ohio. The Provenance café and restaurant and the museum store are all located under its giant dome.